Healthcare industry

The High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and two private investors are convinced of the importance of single-cell isolation for the production of biopharmaceuticals and for genetic analysis in research and diagnostics. EUR 3 million will be invested in the further development of the technology, the expansion of the sales organization and in opening up further applications for Cytena’s single-cell printers.

Article - 10/10/2018

BABYBE GmbH: Premature babies in contact with mum around the clock

It used to be believed that premature babies needed as much rest as possible. However, studies have since shown that this is not the case at all. According to these studies, the brains of premature babies need to be stimulated 24 hours a day, ideally close to the mother, to ensure healthy development. The Stuttgart-based start-up BABYBE GmbH has developed a special gel mattress that enables babies to perceive their mother’s heartbeat and voice…

Company profile - 31/07/2018

Acousia Therapeutics: medicines for deafness

Deafness is one of the most common sensory disorders in the world: in Germany alone, around eleven million people suffer from hearing loss. So far there is no real therapy, the symptoms can only be alleviated to a greater or lesser degree. This is what researchers from the Tübingen-based company Acousia Therapeutics want to change: they have identified drug candidates that can protect sensory hair cells and support their function.

Article - 14/03/2018

Patent versus publication: setting up start-ups in the sciences

When it comes to universities as start-up incubators, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA is often used as a prime example of entrepreneurial impact. Well over 100 high-tech spin-offs have been set up in the vicinity of the renowned university. Many German universities also offer attractive conditions for scientists with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Article - 08/03/2018

Investors wanted: can crowdfunding get the electric walking frame up and running?

If e-bikes make getting around easier, why shouldn't it be possible to apply the same principle to walking frames? That's exactly the question that three young company founders from Stuttgart asked, which led to the development of an electric walking frame called ello. This new walking frame allows users to cope with gradients and kerbs easily and without too much effort.

Article - 21/02/2018

HepaRegeniX – a start-up is taking it up a step!

HepaRegeniX, a biotech company founded in 2016, specialises in developing drugs that restore the regenerative capacity of diseased livers. The three founders of the biotech start-up, Prof. Dr. Lars Zender, Prof. Dr. Stefan Laufer and Dr. Wolfgang Albrecht, anticipate starting clinical testing of the first drug candidate in 2019.

Company profile - 04/09/2017

Mireca: a new drug for stopping the progression of eye diseases

A team of researchers from several EU countries has developed a new drug that stops the progression of hereditary retinal diseases. The project partners founded a company called Mireca Medicines GmbH in the city of Tübingen to bring the drug to market.

Article - 14/08/2017

Saskia Biskup – towards precision medicine

Therapeutic success can only be achieved when diagnoses are as precise as possible. Nowadays, genetic analyses can make precise diagnoses for many diseases. And thanks to high-throughput technology, results are available to patients very quickly. Dr. Dr. Saskia Biskup recognised the importance of precision medicine many years ago and went on to found CeGaT GmbH, a company that combines human genetics with high-throughput sequencing. Three…

The Freiburg-based startup SpinDiag GmbH recently closed a 1.6 Mio. EUR seed-round with three private investors. The team developed a revolutionary point-of-care screening system for testing patients for antibiotic-resistant bacteria at their admission to hospitals and almost instantly so. The seed-capital will make it feasible to bring SpinDiag’s system from its current laboratory environment to first tests in hospitals.

High-Tech Gründerfonds is investing EUR 600,000 in Reutlingen-based SIGNATOPE GmbH. SIGNATOPE will use the funds to advance the development of its unique biomarker assay system, that has been established to support pharmaceutical research. The technology is based on special antibodies and allows the early detection of possible side effects during the drug development process. Thereby, the need for animal testing will be reduced while the drug…

Article - 24/05/2017

Ralf Reski: from moss to humans

Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski conducts basic research at the University of Freiburg. But this is not all the well-known plant biotechnologist does. He also wants his ideas to become concrete products. This is why he established Greenovation Biotech GmbH, a company which produces novel drugs in mosses. The company’s first moss-produced drug candidate – Moss-aGal – a recombinant form of human α-galactosidase, is now being tested in a phase I clinical trial.…

Article - 25/04/2017

Andreas Marx: myPOLS is developing enzymes for special applications

Prof. Dr. Andreas Marx, chemist and polymerase specialist, is Professor of Organic Chemistry/Cellular Chemistry at the University of Konstanz. Three years ago, he also founded a company called myPOLS Biotec GmbH together with his then doctoral student Ramon Kranaster. myPOLS Biotec GmbH produces DNA polymerases that are tailored to the requirements of the company’s clients. In addition, the company also carries out contract research. The dual…

Article - 19/04/2017

Are start-ups a matter for the boss? A professor’s thoughts on university spin-offs

Research work and entrepreneurship are by no means mutually exclusive. There are numerous successful university spin-offs in the life sciences sector that prove this only too well. However, the road from a good idea to a commercially successful company can be long and arduous. Those who benefit from the support of their boss from the outset can consider themselves extremely fortunate. Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Rammensee talks about his experience with…

Article - 07/03/2017

KiTZ: Hopp Children’s Tumour Center at NCT Heidelberg

The Heidelberg University Hospital and the DKFZ have established the "Hopp Children's Tumor Center at NCT Heidelberg" (KiTZ) where doctors, scientists, nursing staff and other specialists work side by side on new diagnostic and therapeutic options to help children with cancer.

Article - 01/03/2017

foxySpec – an analysis system with huge potential for bioproduction and diagnostics

The mass spectrometry-based foxySpec system enables the monitoring of gases and liquids simultaneously in real time. These simultaneous measurements make the system interesting for medical diagnostics applications. However, bioproduction can also benefit from foxySpec, which can also be used to measure a large number of products during the production process in real time, thus supporting smooth processes in fermenters.

Article - 26/10/2016

GeneWerk: precision analyses for humans

Gene therapy approaches are increasingly being used for treating life-threatening diseases in humans. GeneWerk GmbH, a spin-off of the DKFZ and the NCT in Heidelberg, offers customised, high-resolution molecular and bioinformatic analyses that ensure the efficacy and safety of gene therapy and immunotherapy studies.

Article - 22/08/2016

Ad-O-Lytics – a new biotech start-up from Ulm

A few years ago, Florian Kreppel developed a therapeutic approach that combined genetic vaccines with molecular address labels. It worked quite well, but the resulting product did not have the anticipated immunising properties and was put on the backburner. Now Kreppel's group of researchers is nearing completion of another project. The researchers plan to use a patented virotherapeutic platform technology for cancer treatment to establish a…

Company profile - 25/07/2016

300MICRONS: 3D cell culture solutions tailored to customer needs

What happens in tissues and organs and how do they react to pharmaceutical substances? Three-dimensional cell cultures can reproduce reality far better than a single-cell layer can. With good reason. Reality is far from two-dimensional. A company called 300MICRONS GmbH develops films with tiny indentations that provide optimal conditions for cells to grow into 3D cell aggregates.

Company profile - 14/07/2016

neuroloop GmbH: how the manipulation of neuronal information can lower blood pressure

Millions of people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure. However, taking medicines to control high blood pressure does not work for everyone. Dr. Dennis Plachta and Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz from IMTEK have now developed a neurostimulator to control blood pressure. Together with Dr. Michael Lauk, an experienced company founder, the two researchers set up a company called neuroloop, which is funded by Aesculap AG and aims to turn the…

Article - 11/07/2016

The toxin of natural killer cells

Natural killer cells kill tumour cells by injecting the protein HMGB1, which blocks the production of cellular energy by aerobic respiration. Researchers from Heidelberg have elucidated this previously unknown cancer defence mechanism and are now in the process of developing a new immunotherapy for treating cancer patients.

Company profile - 05/07/2016

HS-Analysis GmbH – using digital histology to develop new drugs

The idea of analysing tissue samples automatically sounds more of a pipe dream than anything else. However, it already happens. HS-Analysis GmbH's ability to interpret tissue samples automatically is driving new drug development a decisive step forward.

{Life Science} meets IT Hackathon - 25/05/2016

Training surgeons with a game console

The “Life Science Meets IT Hackathon”, which took place from 20 to 22 May 2016, brought together 80 people from the fields of IT, science, medicine, and business to work on challenges in the health sector and transformed Heidelberg’s Marsilius Arcades into an interdisciplinary development centre for fifty-four hours. Minister Theresia Bauer praised the participants’ dedication to tackling the challenges of digitalisation.

Digitalisation - 10/12/2015

cubuslab helps laboratories to enter the digital era

cubuslab, a start-up company that was spun off from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in March 2015, has developed a technology to connect different types of laboratory equipment, from precision balances to analytical instruments. The technology is aimed at automating workflows and connecting and storing data in an electronic laboratory notebook.

Press release - 09/12/2015

New financing conditions from High-Tech Gründerfonds

High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is raising its seed investment to €600k and lowering interest rates by 4%. This is in response to changing requirements in the start-up and venture capital scene, as well as current interest rate trends. The package of measures will be effective from January 1, 2016.

Article - 05/10/2015

Nanoparticles make eye drops more effective

Drops are a common way of applying drugs for treating a wide of range of eye diseases. Most of us have used eye drops at least once in our lives, but we are not usually aware that even if the drops are applied correctly, only one percent of the drug reaches the eye. The rest is flushed out by eyelid movement or with tear fluid. So very high drug concentrations are needed, and the downside of this is that it can cause substantial adverse effects.…